GENESIS 12 - A Man Named Abram

In our first message on the book of GENESIS, we covered Chapters 1 - 4 where we talked about how God always was and how He is the creator of everything, including mankind. We also learned how man fell away from God when we chose to partake of the forbidden fruit, and how that has caused mankind to be in sin ever since.

Did you know that we are still partaking of the forbidden fruit today? God gave Adam and Eve a set of rules to live by, but they decided to do what they wanted to do instead of what God wanted them to do. Doesn’t that sound a lot like the ancient Israelites? Come to think of it, that sounds a lot like our society today, doesn’t it?

Our entire walk with the Lord is based upon one thing: Our focus on Him. The more we focus our hearts on Him, the more we will desire to walk in His ways. But as much as we want to do that, we seem to get distracted by those things of the world that we find pleasurable.

And that is the problem. When we take our focus off God and put it on ANYTHING or ANYBODY else, that thing or person becomes our temporary idol. God says to not have any other idols before Him, yet we all too often succumb to the idols of this world, don’t we? That is how we are like Adam and Eve were in the Garden when they fell prey to Satan’s lies.

In our last sermon, we followed society from Adam down to Noah, and saw that every generation had become more evil than the one before it. Even after the flood, we saw where the sinful nature of man caused him to build the Tower of Babel, not because he wanted to reach up to God, but because he wanted others to see how much he had accomplished. And as much as we might not like to admit it, we are much like that today. We want to impress others.

I knew an elder once that based his Christianity on how much he helped others. And he was the first to point it out to you, too. I told him that he had a habit of quietly taking the credit as loudly as he could. When we help others, it should be only because the desire in our hearts is to help them, not bring notoriety to ourselves.

Scripture tells us that every inclination of our hearts is only evil all the time. But as much as we turn our backs on God; as much as we must break His heart by denying Him the rightful place in our lives; He loves us enough to protect us and continually offer us a way back to Him. Someone once said that He is the God of a million more chances. I say, “Thank You, Father.”

We continue in today’s sermon by talking about a man named Abram. He lived in a place called Ur, which is in the southern part of what we call Iraq. He lived there with his father, Terah, and all of his relatives. Terah decided to take his grandson named Lot, and his son Abram along with Abrams’ wife and travel to the land of Canaan. They ended up stopping in a place called Haran, which was about 600 miles to the north. They ended up staying there, and that is where Abram’s father, Terah, died many years later.

Let’s talk first about … 

1.      FINISHING WHAT WE START 

Have you ever started something you didn’t finish? Terah set out to go to the land of Canaan, but stopped in Haran and ended up staying there until he died.

Sometime after his death, God spoke to his son Abram. Let’s turn to –

GENESIS 12:1-5

‘The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people, and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you. I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you, and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

So, Abram left as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he set out from Haran. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.’

As a Christian, our goal is always supposed to be on the Promised Land, following Jesus towards Heaven, but all too often, we let the things of this world capture our focus and our desires, and we stop in Haran. We stop short of the goal and settle for less.

For Abram’s father, the problem was geographical and spiritual. He spiritually got tired of the journey and settled for a nice comfortable place that was geographically short of his destination. Most of us have gone through the same thing at one time or another. God does not want us to set on our laurels and do nothing. He wants us to get up and do His work. And He will never call us to “get up” without also telling us to “go and do.”

Abram’s father did the same thing that we do today; the one thing that causes us not to pursue what God wants from us. We let the world steal our focus. We get sidetracked and all of a sudden, the vision we had from God just doesn’t seem so clear anymore.

I have done that most of my life; not because I wanted to short change God, but because I was focused only on what I wanted. But there came another day when God called me. But this time was different, as I had taken my focus off me and had put it solely on Him.

I think the one thing that has the most impact on someone else is showing how it happened to you. In two weeks, we will have a morning of personal testimonies. Today, we are going to see how God worked in Abram’s life, and I am going to give our personal testimony how God worked in our lives so you can see that He is still in the miracle-making business.

Of course, you must understand that this all happened once Diana and I got serious about being available for God. This is not about us, but all about what God will do once you stop giving Him your excuses and start giving Him your obedience.

Diana and I were in Arizona. We both worked at the Post Office I also was the pastor of a church I had planted a couple of years before. Our children and grandchildren, along with other members of our family were all there around us. We had a nice home, and we had friends. In short, we had everything most people want in life.

And then, as God spoke to Abram, He spoke to me. It wasn’t in an audible voice such as I am talking to you now, but a pull in my heart. As the weeks rolled by, that pull became stronger and stronger. I knew something was going to happen but didn’t know what it was or when it would occur. But I knew it would be fantastic and knew it would be soon.

One day, a pastor friend of mine asked me to look at a web site, but he didn’t tell me why. I went there and just saw a list of about 100 churches nationwide that were advertising for pastors. I figured my friend thought I should pray for them, so I began to pray for them. But I kept being drawn to one particular church; a church here in Oklahoma.

So I thought God wanted me to pray for that church especially. So I did. Then, God put it on my heart to contact them about the pastor position. I fought that tooth and nail for a couple of weeks and then I succumbed. I called and was told to send a resume. About a month went by and I figured they didn’t want me, so I was happy to get back to life as usual. Then, God had them call me and invite me up here.

I told God that all I wanted to do was do my usual life, and the only thing God told me was to keep reading MATTHEW 28:19-20.

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

So, we flew up here to talk to the church. On the way here, Diana told me that we were NOT moving here, that we were just going to go through the motions of an interview. To show you how much in agreeance we were, the night before I met with them, we were in the motel, and I told Diana we were NOT moving here, that I did not feel right at all. And besides that, I was nervous, and I felt that if God wanted us up here, I would not be feeling nervous.

Generally, when God calls us into action, first thing we focus on is the why we “can’t” do as God has commanded. But that limits what God will do in our life.

We must learn to …

2.   FOCUS ON WHY WE “CAN” DO IT

On the way back home, I asked Diana what she thought, and she said she thought we needed to move here. She asked me what I thought, and I told her God wanted us here. So we got home and started making preparations. Let me explain how God works once you become willing.

I needed one more year before I could retire with a full retirement. There was no way I could retire and put my retirement on hold. But, when I called personnel, they said that I could just quit my job and then not draw my retirement until I was 62, and that way, even though it would not be a full retirement, I would still get a monthly annuity for the rest of my life.

To work for a company until you are almost ready to retire - and then QUIT your job is a very scary thing to do on one hand. On the other hand, we believed that it was from God. So, I quit. I became willing.

Diana was a letter carrier in Arizona. It is against Postal policy to transfer and change crafts (job duties) during the transfer. She was to transfer here as a carrier, and then try to change to a clerk after she got here, saying it would be a long and drawn-out process at best.

Diana does not do cold … and she did not want to carry mail here in the wintertime. She wanted desperately to transfer as a clerk, and hated the thought of being a carrier in cold weather, but part of walking in faith is to step out and not know where your foot will land, trusting in God, that He is our sustenance.

And so my wife went to the Lord and said if He wanted her to be a carrier, she was willing to do it. She became willing.

Our bosses in Arizona told her to write a letter of interest to the Oklahoma postmaster, but it would take about nine months before she would hear anything. You have to remember that the government is slow, and the post office is even slower. Diana wrote the letter. And then God stepped in once again.

Seven days after she mailed the letter, the postmaster of Claremore, OK. called me in Arizona, and said she had an opening in her office, but it was for a clerk. She said, “I know your wife is a carrier, but would she consider being a clerk?” Then she told me she had that opening for about two years, and Tulsa had just notified her to fill it, but they told her it could not be filled with a new-hire, but had to be filled with a “transferring” employee.

God parted the sea for the Israelites, and He created that job in Oklahoma just for Diana. Looking back, I can see that God is still a God of miracles.

However, when He first called, I contemplated all the things we would need to have happen to allow us to come here, I nearly gave up and stayed there. I focused more on the "possible problems" than I did on the "Problem Solver."

The sale of our home was next. We were told it might take some time to sell it, and that posed a problem, too. Neither the post office nor the church would hold the positions very long. So, we put it on the market after much prayer. They put the sign in the front yard at 6:00 am Saturday, and the first people came at 8:00 am. They said they wanted it so much they bought it that day.

What am I telling you this for? It isn’t because this is about Bruce and Diana. All we did was become willing to do His work, with no parameters set by us on how, or where, we would do it. I am telling you this because I want you to know when God calls you to do something, the first thing you will see are the problems you “think” will keep you from doing what He has called you to do.

In other words, when God calls you to do something, you might start, but if you aren’t careful, the devil will replace your vision with worries, and then you might find yourself settling in Haran and forgetting about Canaan.

But, if you remain focused, you will see God to do things in your life that you never thought possible. I urge you to remember what God did for Diana and I once we stepped out in faith and became willing. I promise you that He will do the same thing for you. All you have to do is put the excuses aside and be willing to obey.

A preacher took a five-dollar bill and put it in a lady’s Bible when she was not looking. During the sermon, he called her to come up where he was and to bring her Bible. When she got there, he asked her if she trusted him. She said she did. He told her he would never ask her to do anything he didn’t already know she could do. He then asked her if she would be willing to do something for him. She said she would.

He asked her to give him five dollars. She said she didn’t have it, and started to go get her purse. He told her to stay put. He reminded her that he would never ask her to do anything unless he knew she could do it. He asked her again for five dollars and she said she didn’t have it.

He asked for her Bible. When she gave it to him, he opened it and took the five dollars out. Then he reminded her that he knew she could give it to him even though she didn’t know it. He told her that all she had to do was say she would, and then ask him for help doing it.

When God asks you to do something for Him, He has already given you everything you need to do it. All you need to do is be willing to do as He tells you, and then rely on Him for the help to do it. He will never let you down, and He will always protect you as you do it. The next time He calls you, don’t say you can’t do it. That denies Him a place in your life for that moment, and it denies the gift He so desperately wants you to have.

The next time God calls you, do what Abram did. 

3.   STEP OUT IN BLIND FAITH

God told Abram to gather up his people and his belongings and leave. You will notice that God did not tell Abram where he was going. He just said to go. What did Abram do? He didn’t make excuses so he could stay where he was. Abram obeyed God and left. It wasn’t until he was on his way that God told him where he was going.

I would like to think that I am an obedient Christian, as I am sure each of you thinks you are obedient. But in reality, just how obedient would we have been if we had been in Abram’s shoes?

When I was in Arizona, if God had told me to sell everything I had, pack up and leave, I would probably told God that unless I knew where I was going, I couldn’t go. I would have said something nonsensical like, “I am called to be a good steward of what You have given me, God, and if I just up and leave without knowing the details involved, I wouldn’t be a good steward – so I can’t go.”

Can you see that is what most of us do most of the time? We have a full book of excuses we carry around with us, telling God how we just cannot do what He told us to do. And in so doing, we have missed out on so many blessings that we could have received, had we just did what we were called to do.

God told Abram that He would bless Abram and, in turn, Abram would become a blessing to others. If Abram had not stepped out in faith, he would never have been blessed and he would never have been able to bless anyone else. But thank God Abram obeyed. Thank God Abram stepped out in blind faith, trusting God that he would not falter. God eventually changed Abram’s name to Abraham, which means the father of many nations.

We tend to think that we are not good enough to do God’s work. I agree – we aren’t. But that is not what God uses as a standard. God does not call the qualified; He qualifies the called. God doesn’t care about your ability; He cares about your availability.

Abram was not good enough to do God’s work. Abram was a liar. His wife was a very beautiful lady. And there were a couple of times Abraham felt that he might be killed so other men might have her. So, what did Abraham do? He told his wife to tell everyone that she was only his sister.

In GENESIS 12:10-16, we read about the first time he lied.

‘Now there was a famine in the land and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but will let you live. Say you are my sister so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.

‘When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. He treated Abram well for her sake.’

Even though Abram was a liar, he was still made himself available to God. How available have you been to do God? Most Christians have made a choice long ago to follow Jesus as long as they can be comfortable. And one of the most uncomfortable thoughts we have is that somebody might get angry with us.

We say that our family or friends would turn away from God or get upset if we start talking to them about church or about Jesus. But let me ask you a question. If you saw someone standing out in the highway, knowing there was traffic coming, would you go and try to save them? Would you care if they got angry? Of course not! So why do we get all nervous about doing what we can so somebody will find spiritual safety? Satan uses everything to stifle us, doesn’t he?

When you became a Christian, you accepted some duties. Every member of God’s household has those same duties. Those duties include living your daily life in a Christ-like fashion; studying the word of God to know what He wants of you; and to go and tell others. Many of us have started that journey, but have long since stopped going and telling. We have settled in our own Haran and have forgotten about our goal of Canaan.

The only way to accomplish that work is to stop looking at those things around you that look as if they will defeat you, and start looking at the One in heaven who has already given you everything you need to do what you need to do.

And, finally, to be successful, you must be willing to step out in faith. You must be willing to do what God has told you to do, even though you see no possible way to do it. He is our source. He is the God of provision and He has already provided, all you have to do is believe it and He will show you when the time is right.

Abram was not perfect. But he did make himself available to God. In our next GENESIS sermon, we will see how, because he was available, God blessed that old man by making him "Abraham", the father of the whole Jewish nation. You are not perfect, but if you make yourself available to God, He will also bless you in ways that will truly astound you.

How available have you made yourself to God? I am going to give you a time right now to start making yourself available to the Lord. Will you do that this morning?

INVITATION